35 dogs at Muntinlupa pound saved from euthanasia

MANILA, Philippines — Thirty-five dogs at the Muntinlupa Animal Pound, all reportedly scheduled to be euthanized earlier this week, would go home to their new owners soon.

Most of the dogs would be taken home by their adopters, Malou Perez, founder of animal welfare group PAWSsion Project, said in a phone interview with The STAR yesterday.

Seven of the dogs were adopted by residents of Muntinlupa, she said.

The dogs would undergo a medical checkup prior to being vaccinated, as some of them were already “skin and bones,” Perez said.

Three of the 35 dogs would be left at the pound to be trained in search and rescue operations, the city’s veterinary office also told The STAR yesterday.

An official who asked not to be named told The STAR she was relieved that the dogs would be adopted, saying “it was good that people became aware of animal adoption through information dissemination.”

Social media postings previously stated that the 35 dogs would be put down since they have not been claimed for two weeks. The city’s veterinary office denied the claim.

In a statement this week, the veterinary office clarified that the city pound, located at Pacwood Site in Barangay Tunasan, would hold stray dogs for two weeks and “those carrying contagious di­seases that are not claimed during the holding period are humanely euthanized.”

The city pound, which opened in July last year, also stated that it has yet to acquire a cremation machine, contrary to posts on social media.